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Local News Friday 6/7/13

07-Jun-2013

Dead Motorist Was A Suicide

Winnebago County Sheriff’s officials have released the name of the man who was found dead in a vehicle on Highway 41 northbound near Snell Road Tuesday afternoon. Investigators and the County Coroner’s Office determined 50-year-old Bradley Vanhandel of Avon, Indiana died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was returning to the Fox Valley area for a court hearing in Outagamie County. A state trooper discovered him after pulling over thinking a motorist was in need of assistance.

FDL Teen Gets Probation And Jail Time For Home Invasion

The last of three teens who committed a home invasion in the Town of Byron in March of last year has been sentenced to 60 days in jail and eight years of probation. James Kollmansberger Of Fond du Lac was sentenced this week in Fond du Lac County Court. He, 18-year-old Jordan Kloetzke of Fond du Lac, and 19-year-old Daryl Dudevoire of New London barged into 73-year-old Merlin Ott’s home on Lost Arrow Road attacked Ott and stole six hand guns. Ott apparently recognized Kloetzke’s voice. He had allowed him to hunt on his land before. Last December Kloetzke was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in the home invasion. Dudevoire was sentenced to 10 ½ years in prison last September.

Register Of Deeds Will Be Appointed For FDL County

Fond du Lac County Executive Al Buechel says Register of Deeds Patricia Kraus will be missed, that she was a great person. Kraus died this week at the age of 61-years-old. She had been battling cancer. As for filling her seat Buechel says that’s up to the Governor. He says that type of appointment harkens back to Old English law. The Register of Deeds is responsible for property and personal records including birth and death certificates and marriage certificates. Kraus was elected to a new four-year term last November.

FDL High School Grad Turning Tables On Cancer

For Ian Lock of Fond du Lac immediate post-high school graduation plans include a trip to the nation’s capitol to speak at a Congressional briefing. Ian will make an appeal for cancer research funding. He’s a cancer survivor having survived Osteosarcoma. He didn’t know he had it until he got hit in the knee while playing football and an x-ray was taken. Ian became part of a study by Dr. Logan Spector who was using Genomes to try and find a way for early detection of cancer. Ian will testify about that during a Congressional briefing in Washington, D.C. next Wednesday. A new treatment and surgeries allowed Ian to keep his leg and participate in the high school baseball and swimming. He walked across the stage to get his high school diploma Thursday night. He says he’s happy he graduated. He plans to attend Macalester College in the Twin Cities where he will study biology with an emphasis on community and global health and go on to get a master’s degree in public health. He wants to become an epidemiologist. He says in the future he wants to be the one studying diseases like cancer to help find a cure.

Flu Bill In Preliminary Stages

State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt says a bill he authored that would end immunizations for the flu mandated by employers for their workers is in the preliminary stages. He says co-sponsorship was just closed off in the past week. He says the genesis for the bill was a few years ago when he was approached by health care workers whose employer mandates flu shots.

He says people should have the right to decide for themselves whether they want to be immunized against the flu. He says there are a small percentage of employees who may not want to get the vaccine. Thiesfeldt also says flu vaccines aren’t as reliable as other vaccines when it comes to warding off disease.

Mercury Marine And Walleye Weekend

Mercury Marine’s involvement in Walleye Weekend goes far beyond the National Walleye Tournament that the weekend long festival in Fond du Lac grew around. Michelle Kilburn is the manager of competitive angling for Mercury. She says the tournament celebrates its 35th year this weekend and 600 anglers will be competing in it. They also sponsor the $1 million Hole-In-One shootout with a chance to win cars, the $1 million top prize or a 60-horsepower Mercury outboard and Lowe fishing boat package. She says this Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at temporary docks near the lighthouse Mercury and area marine dealers will be offering demo rides at part of National Marina Day. Mercury is also involved in a recycling effort in the park with 55-gallon recycling barrels. Kilburn says Mercury is ingrained in the community, has a sense of pride and likes giving back to the community.

Walleye Weekend

Walleye Weekend kicks off at 3 p.m. this afternoon at Lakeside Park in Fond du Lac drawing thousands for the music, activities, food and more. Leanne Doyle Executive Director of Fond du Lac Festivals says there’s no cost to get in unless you want beer, in which case it costs a dollar for a wristband. She says this year for the first time there will also be some ATM or Tyme machines in the park. She says more than 40 non-profit organizations will be benefitting from what they sell at their booths and she says that works out to quite a bit of money. She says they calculate that impact was more than $180,000 last year. For more information on Walleye Weekend visit the Fond du Lac Festivals website.

Waupun City Hal Auditorium An Undiscovered Gem

Waupun Festivals hopes to make more use of one of the City’s best kept secrets in the future the Waupun City Hall Auditorium. It was built in 1928 and the City is looking into doing some remodeling and installing air conditioning so more events can be held there during the summer months. Diane Meyer says events they sponsor there create funding that will help with those improvements and to maintain it. Steve Lenz says it wasn’t used much until it got a second look about 10 years ago. Meyer says they are scheduling events at the auditorium and will continue to do so as it is improved.

Public Education Topic At FDL County Democratic Party Presentation

The Fond du Lac County Democratic Party will host a presentation on public education at Fat Joe’s in Fond du Lac next Monday evening. A cash bar reception will begin at 6 p.m. with the presentation at 7 p.m. Scot Ross of One Wisconsin Now is the guest speaker. He will discuss school vouchers, the relationship between poverty and school performance, the impact of student loan debt on young people and society, and other topics that impact public education. His presentation will be followed by a question and answer session. The event is open to all interested people, not just party members.

Tickets Available Locally For Military Veterans Day At Milwaukee County Zoo

The annual day at the Milwaukee County Zoo for Wisconsin’s military and veterans will be Sunday, June 30th. Tickets are available at the Fond du Lac County Veterans Service Office at 50 N. Portland Street in Fond du Lac until June 28th or the tickets are gone. The ticket includes free admission and free parking. Military members and veterans may bring immediate family only, which includes the military member or veteran, spouse, dependent children and grandchildren. A maximum of ten tickets will be allowed for each military member or veteran. If you’ve never been to the Fond du Lac County Veterans Service Office before, proof of military service is required.

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